Lung Association releases air quality report card for Mass.

Ozone pollution has improved in some areas, but remains a serious public health problem in eastern Massachusetts, according to a report from the American Lung Association.

David Riley

Ozone pollution has improved in some areas, but remains a serious public health problem in eastern Massachusetts, according to a report from the American Lung Association.

The group on Wednesday released a new set of annual grades for ozone levels for each county in the state. It upgraded Middlesex from an F last year to a C and both Norfolk and Barnstable from F to D. Suffolk County improved, too, from D to C.

Bristol was the lone county in the state to see its mark drop this year, from D to F. Essex and Worcester counties saw no change in their F rating.

Overall, one-third of Bay state residents live in a county with failing air quality, said the report, “State of the Air 2012.”

“We certainly know there’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Jeffrey Seyler, president and CEO of the American Lung Association in the Northeast. “If you look at the report card, it’s certainly not one that you’d want your child to bring home.”

No ozone grade was available for Plymouth County, where there is no monitor for that type of pollution.

The Lung Association also looked at short-term particle pollution from sources such as diesel engines and power plants, raising Suffolk County’s grade from C to B and both Plymouth and Worcester from B to A.

Middlesex, Essex and Bristol held onto their A ratings for particle pollution.

Ozone, the main component of smog, can trigger asthma attacks and other lung ailments, particularly in children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. About one in 10 Bay State children suffers from asthma, advocates say.

Microscopic particle pollution can lodge deep in airways, sometimes causing irritation, coughing or aggravation of lung and heart problems, according to the EPA.

Seyler credited the federal Clean Air Act for overall improvements in air quality and warned against weakening it. He said some members of Congress want to roll back standards they fear are harmful to the economy.

“The air is getting cleaner and it’s because the Clean Air Act is working, but we can’t lull ourselves into a false sense of security,” he said.

Seyler argued clean air rules benefit the economy by reducing health problems and generating jobs in pollution control, including some in Massachusetts.

It is difficult to pinpoint why air quality in one county might differ from another, Seyler said, but he described a mix of out-of-state pollution carried on the wind from Midwest power plants and local factors as shaping conditions in Massachusetts.

“A lot of it comes from local activities – driving your car, power plants that might be in the local industry,” he said.

While it’s important to note Bristol is the only county where ozone pollution worsened, the change in grade could be a matter of one or two more high-ozone days than last year, said Katie King, director of health promotion and policy for the Lung Association.

The Lung Association bases its grades on air quality data reported to the EPA over a three-year period. This year’s grades use data from 2008, 2009 and 2010. Extra weight is given to particularly bad days.

An A grade for ozone means levels rated “good” or “moderate” every day on an EPA air quality index. A C indicates three to six day over the standard; a D, seven to nine days; an F, nine or more days.

The Lung Association has sued in recent years over what it views as the EPA’s failure to update ozone and particle pollution standards based on new science.

(David Riley can be reached at 508-626-4424 or driley@wickedlocal.com.)

Ozone levels in Massachusetts

County

Grade

Wgt.

Avg.

Days orange

Days red

Days purple

Barnstable

D

3.2

8

1

0

Berkshire

C

1.8

4

1

0

Bristol

F

3.3

10

0

0

Dukes

F

4.2

8

3

0

Essex

F

3.3

10

0

0

Hampden

F

4

12

0

0

Hampshire

F

5.3

16

0

0

Middlesex

C

2

6

0

0

Norfolk

D

3

9

0

0

Plymouth

DNC

DNC

DNC

DNC

DNC

Suffolk

C

1.7

5

0

0

Worcester

F

5.2

14

1

0

* "DNC" indicates that there is no monitor collecting data in the county. "Wgt. Avg." column refers to a weighted average of days of ozone or particle pollution above levels deemed safe per year in 2008-10.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.